Where Michael Jackson’s monkey Bubbles is now years after singer's death

Michael Jackson once owned a monkey called Bubbles, among many other animals, at his Neverland home.

The singer, who died in 2009, had got the chimpanzee back in the 1980s from a research facility in Texas and started taking him on tour.

Jackson first acquired Bubbles in 1983 and lived with him at his family home in Los Angeles, and when the singer moved into Neverland five years later he brought the animal along with him.

While the monkey had several encounters with celebrities and gained a fame of his own he eventually got too big to be around a house with Jackson's young children and in 2003 went to live with Bob Dunn, an animal trainer who'd helped Jackson get Bubbles out of the research facility.

Bubbles lived with Dunn for a couple of years, but as UNILAD discovered a couple of years later in 2005 to the Center for Great Apes in Florida.

Michael Jackson took Bubbles the chimpanzee on tour with him (Sankei Archive via Getty Images)

As for how he's doing now, they said that Bubbles is still alive at the age of 43 and is enjoying the more relaxing environment they provide.

He lives with a 53-year-old female named Oopsie, her 40-year-old daughter Boma, Oopsie’s granddaughter Kodua, 23, and Oopsie’s grandson, Stryker, 21.

Apparently he took over dad duties with Kodua and Stryker very quickly so they live as a tight-knit unit.

There are also three younger chimpanzees that were recently introduced to them and Bubbles is said to be 'exceptionally patient and caring with them'.

Bubbles still hears Jackson's music from time to time as the Centre for Great Apes staff often play it while they're cleaning out enclosures.

Bubbles and Jackson parted ways in 2003 after he got too big and strong to keep around the house as a pet (Hulton Archive/Getty Images)

He reportedly spends much of his time sleeping in his hammock or napping in a particular spot of shade, but when he's awake his favourite pastimes involve looking through magazines with pictures in them, especially National Geographic.

According to People, Bubbles had some famous encounters over the years including partying in a hotel room with Jon Bon Jovi, possibly going to school with Riley Keough and biting Rashida Jones.

The chimpanzee also features in the recent Michael Jackson biopic, Michael, though instead of trying to get the chimp himself or find one that might play the role they just decided to CGI the money in which seems to have been a more sensible decision.

So that's Bubbles the chimpanzee, bought at a very young age by Jackson in 1983 and living with him for the next 20 years, he's spent the past 21 years of his life at a sanctuary in Florida with a new family.